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FMS vs. STE: Fresenius Medical Care vs. STERIS Stock Comparison

How do Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but FMS is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while STE is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

STERIS (STE) trades as ordinary local shares, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
Profile ItemFMSSTE
NameFresenius Medical Care AG - Depositary ReceiptSTERIS plc
Country/RegionGermanyUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care ServicesHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization12.15 billion USD24.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateSeptember 17, 1996June 1, 1992
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FMS
STE
GSPC
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Total Return (1Y)-0.71%-1.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)13.88%9.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-4.69%3.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FMS
STE
GSPC
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)30.61%26.39%
Beta (5Y)0.770.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-62.33%-36.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)954.21K694.02K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FMS and STE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.16-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.21-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 7.84% and STERIS (STE) at 11.61% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.84%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
FMS
7.84%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 4.22%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.22%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
FMS
4.22%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 19.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 9.63%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.63%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
FMS
9.63%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
ROE (TTM)7.84%11.61%
ROA (TTM)3.94%7.00%
Net Margin (TTM)4.22%13.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)9.63%19.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)26.46%44.30%

Growth

Revenue Growth

STERIS (STE) at 8.73% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 1.51% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 83.61% and STERIS (STE) at 27.90% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.51%8.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.39%9.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)83.61%27.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)13.47%94.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

STERIS (STE) at 2.05 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.99 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FMS.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.99

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
FMS
0.99
Min
0.30

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.79 and STERIS (STE) at 0.28 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.79

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
FMS
0.79
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.992.05
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.790.28
Net Debt / EBITDA3.630.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 6.30% and STERIS (STE) at 1.02% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.30%

FMS
6.30%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 50.14% and STERIS (STE) at 30.61% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

50.14%

FMS
50.14%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
Dividend Yield (TTM)6.30%1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)50.14%30.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 13.53 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 29.93 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for FMS, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.53

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
FMS
13.53
Min
4.21

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.62 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while STERIS (STE) at 3.97 prices around its industry’s middle — FMS costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.62

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
FMS
0.62
Min
0.03

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.85 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while STERIS (STE) at 3.38 is valued near its industry’s middle — FMS is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

FMS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.85

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
FMS
0.85
Min
-1.31

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) and STERIS (STE)
MetricFMSSTE
P/E Ratio (TTM)13.5329.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.623.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.853.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)12.29%3.36%